Say "Goodbye" to the DSLR ?

I have a phone camera which I hardly use, I have a compact camera of decent quality which I take with me most the time when at work and out and about (Fujifilm X20) but I also have a Nikon D7000.

I get reasonable pictures from my phone if that's all I have with me and good quality pictures from my Fuji. Sometimes I wonder if I should bother any more with a large and cumbersome DSLR...

...then I use it! Bliss!

I have a bog-standard, old, Vauxhall 1600 estate which gets me around, it accelerates very well and suits me, it serves it's purpose and I sometimes wonder if I should sell my motorbike and the car and just get a nice new car...

...then I get back on the bike! Bliss!

There is no substitute for quality.

I would be disappointed, very, if DSLR's should bite the dust due to the onset of phone cameras and would probably give up photography, but before that happens I have two things in my favour; I am nearly sixty and will probably die before DLR's do and I have an A3 Plus printer -- which I use. No one with a camera phone prints pictures, the pictures taken are ephemeral, easily forgotten and pointless. They serve to show a friend a funny clip or an "I was there" moment and then are most likely never seen again after the phone is ungraded..."oh I had a photo of that on my old phone, pity, it's gone now."

It is not the camera on the phone that will cause the demise of the DSLR, it is the lack of software to easily save and process your pictures from a mobile phone that will save it.

I think DSLR's will be here for some time to come and the secret is not to try to constantly upgrade to the 'next best thing', be happy with what you have so long as it works because no one needs more than 16 Mp unless you want to decorate the side of the Shard.

There is a picture of a Nikon FM2 above, I had one, an excellent camera. Had it not been for the inevitable demise of film I would still have it, it would still work, and I would replace my meter battery once every five years. It was a joy to hold and a joy to use and I miss it. I shall not so easily be persuaded to part with my d7000 as it does all that I wish of it -- and it blows any phone camera out of the water!
 
HoppyUK said:
Probably not far from the truth ;) :D

Anyone interested in the latest sales figures should check out Thom Hogan's blog, he's a very good commentator on what's actually shifting. His latest update on 2013 was posted just a few days ago http://www.dslrbodies.com/newsviews/camera-company-financials.html

Quick summary: DSLRs badly down (again). CSCs down even further (and they sell only a quarter of DSLR volumes). Compacts dead. More of the same this year :(

The big question is just how far smartphones will push upmarket. My guess is a lot further than we dare imagine, with the help of add-on lens-plus-sensor accessories like the Sony QX sweeping the middle ground (what's left of it). It's not a great outlook for any manufacturer of 'enthusiast' cameras, whether they're DSLRs or CSCs.
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The downturn of the market can be attributed largely to the recession and maturity of the digital high end cameras. Consumers have lower spending power, and the latest offerings do not represent significant improvement to justify upgrades. In simple terms most people can only afford new mobiles that are the fashionable must haves.

dSLRs (and probably CSCs if manufacturers survive) aren't going anywhere for 2 reasons: there is no replacement for high end equipment and there will be always [small] market; the low end will become the new fighting ground for the lost compact segment. Secondly the recession will have to end sooner or later and people will be keen to start spending again.

I don't see Sony attachments as accessories. They are fully featured compacts without a screen. You know it makes sense to do. There is still some scope for specialised compacts, such as fixed lens - large sensor or megazoom, however it may be very sensitive to high pricing.

Another very interesting observation can be made from the graphs in the article. People buy dSLRs in the summer for work and holidays. CSCs are seemingly Christmas gifts with most sales achieved at the end of the year, because they are cheaper and smaller, but at the same time are less trusted for work or personal projects.
 
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There will always be a high end photo imaging option no matter what happens. In the immediate future... there will always be SLRs, as there's nothing to replace them. Simple as that.

They'll get more expensive, as demand drops from the general public. The mad rush to bring out a new model every 18 months will disappear (good!), but they'll still be there for those that are serious about creating imagery.
 
One more point if I may. I have just been looking at medium format film cameras and they still make and sell them. There are even medium format digital cameras, Pentax make one for £5,300 body only!! I'm not too concerned about the apparent demise of the SLR, as David says above with regard to the end of new-model-rushes, it might even be a good thing if there is a drop in demand; higher quality, higher prices, but less junk.
 
ShinySideUp said:
There are even medium format digital cameras, Pentax make one for £5,300 body only!! I'm not too concerned about the apparent demise of the SLR
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They're still SLRs :)

You're right though. The sooner the consumer market for SLRs sods off, the better, then we'll stop getting useless tat on professional cameras like built in flash, and stupid D lighting features etc. While pro cameras are build for pro use, Nikon and Canon aren't stupid.. they know Joe Bloggs buys them too, so they waste time adding sh1te no one needs.
 
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